A sandy beach is coming to Lansing's riverfront

LANSING — Lansing residents will have a sandy escape near the Grand River by the end of the summer.

Rotary Park, which will stretch from the Lansing Center to the Shiawassee Street Bridge, will also have an outdoor fireplace, a lighted forest, a plaza and a sculpture patio.

And it will have a beach area with lounge chairs and umbrellas.

“It gives us a destination. It gives people a place to go," said Michelle Massey, vice president of Dewpoint, which chipped in $100,000 for the beach project. "Something to do on a Friday night.”

Construction will start in a few weeks and the park should be finished by August, said Laurie Baumer, the Community Foundation’s executive vice president.

A rendering of the beach at Rotary Park. The entire $1.8 million park is expected to open by the end of August.(Photo: Image courtesy of Capital Region Community Foundation)

The foundation has set aside $1 million to match private contributions for a handful of projects along the downtown Lansing riverfront. A handful of businesses in the Lansing area have also contributed to help construct features in Rotary Park and elsewhere along the river.